Apparatus for blowing sand from railway-tracks.



C. D. BROWN. APPARATUS FOB BLOWIHG S'AND FROM RAILWAY TRACKS.;

` PPLIOATION FILED DEO.13, 1911. l I 1 ,O2 1,655. Patented Mar. 26,1912..

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` APPLITION FILED DEC.13, 1911. l ,021,655. Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

imrhism/f my @2m attorney `C. D. BROWN. APPAiaA'rUs` Fon BLOWING SAND PROM RAILWAY TRACKS.

APPLIOATIOEILED DBO.13, 1911.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Swann' that the driving wheelsof the rolling stock of the fluid.

i this specification and in which like numerals vhind the drivers that will cause such wheels cHAR-Lns D. BROWN, or WA'sIIINsToN, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FoR'BLoWING SAND Enola RAILWAY-amiens.

Specification Letters Patent.

Patented 216i; rare.-

- vApplication'filed Decemhcr 13; 191'1. Serial No.16655413i.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES D. BROWN, a citizen of the United' States` residing atllashington, in the county of Tazewell and State. of illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in A-pliaratus for Blowing Sand from Rail\\'ay-'l`racks, of which the following is a'speciticat-ion. i

'lhis .invention relates to apparatus for blowingr samlfrour railway-tracks. i'

it customary to employ sand or alike abrasive agent upo'n rail tracks in 'order can olitain the required purchase upon the track to permit; thc rolling stock to be propelled; Unless the sand is immediately removed from the track after the passage of. the driving wheels thereover it acts to offer such resistance' to the. wheels traveling beto drag;r upon the track and the load of the rolling stock is thereby greatly increased and even though the drivng'wlieels of the rolling stock have sucmeded'4 in obtaining the proper purchase upon the track the resistance ollered, due to the. above stated cause, holds the-rolling stock from making the proper advance.

lt is an object. of my invention to provide apparatus which will positively remove the sand i 'rom the track after the driving wheels have passed thereovcr.

lt is -nnother object of the invention to provide means whereby the sand can be removed through fluid pressure and by an auxiliary removing device Such as a brush or scraper which is designed to engage against. tbc track at a point in advance of flu. fluid discharge.

Another object of the invention is to provide a valve for controlling the discharge A still further object of the invention is to provide means on the fluid discharging' device for supporting,r the scraping device.

ltfis a still further object of the invention to provide means on the spraping device whereby it can be adjustedup set and released positions and io automatically control the valve in the .fluid device so aste regulate the discharge of the fiuid therefrom.

ln the drawings, forming a portion of of reference indicate similar parts-in the' several viewsz-Flgure 1 1s a slde'vlew ofjvA locomotive showing my sand moving app'a'- the like. l

' ratas applied thereto. F ig. 2 isa: conventional' sectional view through the' locomo=4 tive showin` the apparatus applied theretoand illustrating the scraping device i'n 'an' inoperative position. Fig. 3 is a. view siuiij lar -to Fig. Iv showing the scraping device in an inoperative position. Fig. LLisa-section on an enlarged scale through' tliefiiiid'regula-ting valve showing the dotted iositions of the portway in the valve When'ft e latter is open and closed positions respectively. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of' the' Brushadjusting Amechanisrnv The locomotive liereinslioiv'n'f is equipped with tlie usual driving wheels B'; any suitable welF knownsnding device clin'-I be .employedlfor' the purpose'` conveying the sand' to tlie track 1nfront' ofi the drivers' in order that.l the' necessary purcliasioff the' drivers against the trac'lt can'A lie"olitiix'l'ed'I when the locomotive is travelingupgrade or' l The apparatus removing the 'sandifrom the track rails after the d' 'ving'wh'eels- 80 have passed: thereover c'omprisesju: tan'l' y1` which may be connected'in any suitable'wellknown manner by tlie pipe 21 toany fliild' source. As an exam ile, the tankl' can' be" sul very readily connecte "in some obvious m'an- Sii ner `to'onev of the air pumps 1n the' brake` systeni ofthe locomotive so thata sufficient" quantity of air'can'be maintained` in' the tank to operate the'apparatus when'jdesired.

A- main conveying" pipe 3: extends` down- 9J wardly from the t'ank-V 1, and as showin it' is connected with the downwurdly'and'for'- wnrdly extending branches 4; A' rotary valve'5 is mounted in' each branch 42 and as shown, the valve is provided with a portxv'av 95 6 and a suitable operating lever 7'. The levers 7 can` be operatedin a` manner to be hereinafter descr1bcd'whereby the air' can be conveyed through the banches 4A to be discharged fromA the points'S upon the 1G11' branches to the rails-ofthe` track. The fluid" blast: discharging' from .the branches 4' will` be suicient to cause the*4 effective' removal of" the loose sand froniathc' rails.' as shown'.

The tank 1 can be' arranged' inA the of a4 locomotive orjpositionedf'on any' suitable' point thereon wherein thcjbranclies 4 can' be conveniently' disposedi'beliin'd the' rear' drivers;

tlllt'such quantity of'dust accumulates upon -the. rails as to neeessitatei'its'removal before trolled. y y

The adjusting mechanism 16 comprises a the locomotive can.be propelled. Now, at

times when dust or sand accumulates upon the rails to the extent that it cannot be vremoved readily by air pressure, I provide the companion scraping devices -9.

bristles or other suitable equivalent scraping surfaces 11` mounted, at y12, upoxr the supporting arms A13. The arms 13 are connected pivotally, at 14, to the branches 4 hereinbefore described so that the devices can be ad'usted vertically vwith respect ptthe rails, w ereby they can be readily brought into contact therewith or removed therefromas the occasion vmay de mand. The arms 13 are provided with actuating members 15 which are operatively connected with'the levers 7 `of the fluid controlling valves l so that when .the-arms are moved the valves will be automatically concontrolling lever 17 which supports a rod 18 to which the heads of the scraping dcvices are connected. Any suitable well known means may be used for the purpose` i of holding the lever 17 in its locked position,

therack 19 and the coperating pawl 20 be- 'ing preferably employed forthis purpose.

The valve 5 is provided with a 'portway 21 which may be brought into registration with the portway 22 in the valve casing when the brushor scraping device is adjusted to its released or inoperative position. At this time the fluid from the reservoir'l will vbe permitted to flow through the. branches 4 to be effectively discharged u on the rails. On`

another adjustment of the )rush or scraping device to cause the Same to engage against the rail the portway-21 will be closed, as shown in the dotted lines in Fig. 4. lCrom this construction it will be seen that in cases where the sand or dust becomes adhered to the rails .to the extent that it is impossible.

to remove the salue therefrom by. air or like fluid pressure the apparatus can c'onveniently regulated to cause the scraping devices to positively engage against the ra ils to scrape the sand or dust therefrom.

I claim: A 1. The combination with a track traveling wheeled' vehicle, of a fluid conveying member adapted to be disposed above the rails of the track and located behind the wheels of the vehicle, a stationary 'fluid source connected-withwsaid member, a valve inl the stationary fluid source having an loperating lever, an adjustable scraping device, means pivotallyconnecting said scraping device tosaid stationary fluid source, means piv'ot- Each of these devices comprises a head 10 and the These devices are, lixedly.

ally connected with the latter mentioned means and the. operating lever of the valve, and means for vertically adjusting the scraping devicewith respect to the rails.

2. The combination with a`track traveling wheeled vehicle, of a flui'd conveying member adapted to be disposed above the'rails of the track and located behind the wheels of the vehicle, a stationary fluid source connected with said member, a va1ve. in the stationary fluid source having fangopcrating lever, an

-adjustahle scraping device,A means pivotally connected to the ldwer end of the said stationary 4fluid source, means pivotally, con-- nected withthe latterA mentioned means-.and the operating lever ofthe valve, and means for vertically'adjusting thescraping device with respect to the rails. 4

3. The combinationl with a track traveling wheeled vehicle, of a fluid conveying member adapted to be disposed above the rails of the. track and located behind the wheels v of the vehicle, a stationary fluid source connected with said member, a valve in the staf tionary fluid source having an (merating lever, an adjustable scraping device, means pivotally connecting said scraping device to the lower end of saidl stationary fluid source, said means being disposed in parallel relation with the tread surface of' the rails,

4means pivotally connected with the latter tion with thetread surface of the rails and ot" the said stationary fluid source, means pivotally connected with the latter mentioned means and the operating lever of the valve, and-means connected with the top of lthe scraping device4 for vertically adjusting the latter with respect to the rails.

.In testimon ,whereof I affix my signature in presence o two witnesses. v 'CHARLES D. BROWN. 'y Witnesses:

,PAUL W. Busse, Citas. T. Norms.

said means being disposed in parallel rela-` 'positioning-the scraping device forwardly l 

